Traffic-controlling system for railways.



A. V.y T. DAY.

TRAFFIC CONTROLLING SYSEM FOR RAILWYS.

APPLICAUON man 0m29.190s. RENEWED Nov. 12, i910.

1,15*?,850- V Emmi Ufff, 2s, m15.

vor other traiocontrolling "ijtlul TILFFEC-CONTROLLING SYSTEM FR RAL'WAYS.

.implication ',le. october 29, 1568, Serial No. 460,128.

t may conceive.'

Be it known that ALBERT V. T. Der, a citizen of 'United States, residing at NoTT Rochelle, in the county of Westchester anu State ot Blew York, have invented a cer tain new and useful improvement in Traffic- Jontrolling Syste is for Railways, of which tire following is a epecication, reference be ing had therein to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

My invention relates to electric tralo controlling systems for railways.

ln electric Systems for controlling signals evices on raila for the salte of economy in the ea'joenditureV of electrical energy, to usecurrents as Weak. as canbe depended upon to operate the apparatus reliably. Even with the expenditure of considerable energy, however, the conditions of resistance and impedance may be such, in practice., that the currents e'ective upon the electric translating devices controlling the signals or other trafic-controlling devices are comparatively faint. For these reasons it has been necessary, in many systems heretofore proposed, to use relays or other electric trans lating devices of liigl'ily sensitive character,

To @ZZ whom ways, it is desirable,

- and such apparatus is peculiarlyy liable to receding generator,

faulty action, owing to thel sticking of contacts and to other Well known causes.

@ne object of the present 'invention is to produce electric tramo-controlling system for railways which shall be reliable in operation and economical in the expenditure of electrical energy.

More specieally, the invention has for its object to reduce either or both the necessityv for sensitiveness. in' the electric translating devices and tlie expenditure of electrica-l operating einem.

accomplish the objects above referredjo by the use of current-amplifying means, in connection with relays or other translating devices by which comparatively faint cur-- rents are amplified or increased in strength suiliciently to enable t ein to act with certaintf. These amplifying means, more spe cicially described, comprise one or more electric generators so arranged in series that each generator except the first,vvhere more than one are used, has its field energized bv the current generated in the armature of the while the field of the rst generator is energized by the current Specification of Letters Eetent.

Patented @et 26, 329.3%. Renewed November' 3.2, 1916. Serial No. Sei-2,5%.

which is to be amplilied. .finy nuniiieii of generators may be used in this way, and tire effect of the apparatus is to ampliiiy or the current in geometrical ratio and in proportion' to the number oi gener-at rs in the series.

l will new describe the embodiment oi' my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and will thereafter point out my invention in claims.

ln the drawin'gs`lf`igure l is a diagram el u portion of an electric traiiiocontrolling system embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is e plan'vietv of one of the track transformers used in the system illustrated in Fig. l. Fig. is a vertical section on the line -m of Fig. 2, looking from right to left.

Fig. l illustrates my'invention las applied to the West-bound track of a doubletreek railway and shows one complete lblock and portions oftWo adjacent blocks. The ,trains move from right to left in the ligure'. Two signal stations are shown, designated, respectively, as A and B, and as the apparatus at the two stations isprecisely similar, the same reference numbers are used to designate corresponding parts at the two stations.

he invention is illustrated as applied to a railway in which lelectricityis used for S5- traction purposes, and for this reason the track rails l andQ are bonded or otherwise rendered continuously conductive, so as to serve as return conductors for traction current. y

Near the ends of each block the rails arei connected by heavy cross-bonds 3 and 4, respectively, which not only serve to equalize the How of traction current in the rails' but also constitute portions of the track circuits. Sie

ln eacli block the track circuit is energized at or near tlie middle by a transformer 5, which is energized from transmission Wires extend through- In order to keep the track circuits-in ada(- gacent blocks distinct from each othenjtlie'le cross-bonds 3 and f1 at each signal station are separated from each other for a short track circuits, acts to restrict the currents to their appropriate paths sufficiently for practical purposes.

The currents in the track circuits are i rendered effective upon the electric translating devices through transformers, of which the cross-bonds constitute the primary conductors. These transformers are located between the track rails, and their construction 1s' illustrated more particularly in Figs. 2 and 3. Here the cross-bond 3 is'illustrated as a heavy bar of rectangular crosssection, of copper or other suitable material.

'The secondary winding of the transformer consists of an elongated coil 9, which is arranged parallel with the cross-bond. A laminated iron core 11 of ring-shaped crosssection surrounds the cross-bond and one limb of the coil 9.

The currents induced in the track transformers are the currents which are amplified to increase their effectiveness on the translating devices. The coils 9 are connected by wires 12 with the fields 13 of the first generators in the amplifying series. Condensers le, of such capacity as to beresonant with the signaling currents, are interposed 'in the wires 12 to exclude foreign ..cu"i'rents,

such as traction current, and for the same purpose a frequency is chosen for the traction current substantially different from that ofthe transmission line current. rlhe armatures 15 of the'gen'erators abovereferred to are actuated upon a common shaft by a mo- `tor 16, which may be energized from any convenient source. In the drawings the motor is energized 'by traction current. For this purpose it is connected by wires 17 with the track rails and with the traction conductor 1S, which may be a third rail or a trolley wire. rIlle traction conductor is connected with one terminal of a traction-eurrent generator 1S), of which the other terminal is connected by a wire 20 with the track rails. The armatures 15 are connected in turn with the fields 21 of the second generators ol the series, and the armatures 22 ci' ille latter energize the fields 23 of the final generators. rlllie armatures of theA latter furnish the currents by which are directly controlled; I

llie signal. relays 25 and 2Gare of the polarized aliernating-current type. Each relay has a field constantly energized with alternating current, and an armature 27 pivotcll `in the field and carrying a contact fingel; The armature is provided with a the signal relays coil or Winding, and the arrangement is such that when both field and armature are energized with currents of the same frequency and of suitable phase relation, thearmature tends to rotate in the direction to maintain its contact .finger 28 in engagement with a coperating fixed contact 29.

The armature coils of the relays are 00n- .nected with the armatures 24 of the amplifying generators. `The fields are connected through feed wires 31'and 32 with atransger and the fixed contact of the relay 26 at A, and thence through a line wire 38 back to the feed wire 31 at B.

` The signal 36 may be a semaphore of ordinary form, having a bias to danger position. Electrically controlled mechanism acts, when the circuit above described is closed,

toclear the signal and hold it cleared until 9.1

the circuit is broken. This'controlling upg ratusmay be of any ordinary or suit. le `form, and it is not illustrated in the drow- 1n s.

tors are actuated constantly. In thenno condition of the apparatus, which is illus-l trated in Fig. 1, the current in the track circuit is amplified at each end ofthe block and acts to maintain the relays in closed-oir- 1 cuit position, so that the signal at the en trance end of the block is held clear by current in the line circuit. If, however, a. train or any rolling stock cupy any portion of'a l block, with the exception of the short porl. tion between the cross-bonds 3` and 4, the

wheels and axles act as cross-conductors, and, the 'current in one or both branches of the track circuit is thereby short-clrcuited and prevented from reaching the track trans- 1 former. By this operation one orv both 4of the signal relays is denergized, the linel circuit is opened, and the signal goes to danger position. A similar result occurs in case a rail be broken. 1

g The motors 16 and the amplifying gennrt- 1l et system, which would loe. insucient to mirectiy actiiate ordinary relays or transdevices,

escriloecl and illustrated in' the accompanying drawings Within the nature-of the 1nm. tien the scope of the following i claim:

l. in electric wallie-controlling system for railways comprising a trafila-controlling device, a controlling circuit, an electric translating device controlling the trafila-controlling device and amplifying apparatus connecting the translating device and the controlling circuit and consisting of a plurality of generators arranged with theylield ci the iirst energized by the contrelling'xcircuit, the armature of thev last energizing the translating device, and the intermediate V cue rnocliicatiens may be madein the nient el' my invention hereinoefore elds energize@- by the intermediate arn'lian4 gOV tures vWliereloy said translating device is eli-ned by the controlling circuit. 4

2. An electric signal System for railways comprising a track signal, al relay control ling the signal, a track circuit controlling the relay, a source of alternating current for energizing the track circuit, and connections between the track circuit and the relay comprising a plurality of generators of which i I ALBERT V. T. DAY. 4,VVitijie'ssesz 'Vieron D. Bons'r, WiiLfAsHLEY KELLY. 

